2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts / sciences and humanities students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
At the associate degree level specifically, there were 403,365 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,082 and $17,678 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate” ranking looked at 934 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate.
Top 25 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Public University System. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate. American Military University is located in Charles Town, West Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,323 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
American Military University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for American Military University is $10,222 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full American Military University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Out of the 934 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Collin County Community College District landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in McKinney, Texas, this large public school handed out 2,763 degrees to qualified associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Collin County Community College District, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,293 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Collin County Community College District.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Collin County Community College District
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Houston Community College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate. Houston Community College is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,851 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Houston Community College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Houston Community College is $5,272 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Full Houston Community College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Out of the 934 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Hillsborough Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Hillsborough Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 3,253 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
HCC also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $3,238 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Hillsborough Community College.
Full Hillsborough Community College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Out of the 934 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Tallahassee Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. Tallahassee Community College is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,554 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, Tallahassee Community College is in the top on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Tallahassee Community College is $4,048 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Full Tallahassee Community College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
El Centro College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 5,589 students in 2019-2020.
El Centro College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for El Centro College is $4,373 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at El Centro College
Northern Virginia Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking. Northern Virginia Community College is located in Annandale, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,612 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northern Virginia Community College, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Virginia Community College is $10,005 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Northern Virginia Community College
Tarrant County College District ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. Tarrant County College District is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4,575 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
Tarrant County College also took the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tarrant County College is $5,434 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Full Tarrant County College District Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Highline College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking. Highline College is a medium-sized school located in Des Moines, Washington that handed out 618 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
Highline excels when it comes to liberal arts / sciences and humanities quality. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Highline is $7,052 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Highline College
With a ranking of #10, Valencia College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school handed out 7,122 degrees to qualified associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
Valencia College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,205 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Valencia College.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Valencia College
With a ranking of #11, Midland College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. Midland, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 266 students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Midland College also did well on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $4,745 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Midland College.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Midland College
Indian River State College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking. Indian River State College is located in Fort Pierce, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,032 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
Indian River State College also claimed a top spot on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Indian River State College is $2,003 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Full Indian River State College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Brazosport College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Lake Jackson, Texas, this small public school awarded 306 diplomas to qualified associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
BC excels when it comes to liberal arts / sciences and humanities quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Brazosport College is $4,404 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Normandale Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. Normandale Community College is located in Bloomington, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 687 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
Normandale Community College excels when it comes to liberal arts / sciences and humanities quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,620 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Normandale Community College.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Normandale Community College
Lone Star College System ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. Lone Star College System is a public institution located in The Woodlands, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,833 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
North Harris Montgomery not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Lone Star College System is $8,016 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at North Harris Montgomery
Seminole State College of Florida landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking. Seminole State is a fairly large school located in Sanford, Florida that handed out 1,957 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, Seminole State has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Seminole State College of Florida is $8,326 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Seminole State
Oakland Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking, coming in at #17. Oakland Community College is a fairly large school located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan that handed out 1,305 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Oakland Community College also did well on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Oakland Community College is $2,825 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Oakland Community College
Palm Beach State College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking. Located in Lake Worth, Florida, this large public school handed out 3,907 diplomas to qualified associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
Palm Beach State College also took the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,651 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Palm Beach State College.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Palm Beach State College
Central Texas College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Killeen, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 793 diplomas to qualified associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
Central Texas College excels when it comes to liberal arts / sciences and humanities quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Central Texas College is $5,112 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Central Texas College
Rowan College at Burlington County ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. Rowan College at Burlington County is a medium-sized school located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey that handed out 1,589 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, RCBC is in the top on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Rowan College at Burlington County is $7,618 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at RCBC
Saint Louis Community College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 1,377 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Saint Louis Community College also did well on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Louis Community College is $6,796 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Saint Louis Community College
Central Piedmont Community College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. This fairly large school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 1,353 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
Central Piedmont Community College excels when it comes to liberal arts / sciences and humanities quality. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Central Piedmont Community College is $6,002 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Full Central Piedmont Community College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Cuyahoga Community College District did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate ranking, coming in at #23. Cuyahoga Community College District is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,804 associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cuyahoga Community College District is also in the top of our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Cuyahoga Community College District is $5,415 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cuyahoga Community College District
With a ranking of #24, Anoka-Ramsey Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. Located in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school handed out 639 diplomas to qualified associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus also claimed a top spot on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,890 for Associate Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Anoka-Ramsey Community College.
With a ranking of #25, North Central Texas College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate list. Located in Gainesville, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 720 degrees to qualified associates’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, NCTC is also in the top of our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $5,307 for associate degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend North Central Texas College.
Full North Central Texas College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for an Associate
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
51 | South Plains College | Levelland, TX |
52 | North Hennepin Community College | Brooklyn Park, MN |
53 | Florida SouthWestern State College | Fort Myers, FL |
54 | Metropolitan Community College | Omaha, NE |
55 | Northland Community and Technical College | Thief River Falls, MN |
56 | South Seattle College | Seattle, WA |
57 | Suffolk County Community College | Selden, NY |
58 | Blinn College | Brenham, TX |
58 | Seattle Central College | Seattle, WA |
60 | Madison Area Technical College | Madison, WI |
61 | Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City | Kansas City, MO |
62 | Rochester Community and Technical College | Rochester, MN |
63 | San Jacinto Community College | Pasadena, TX |
64 | Northwest Mississippi Community College | Senatobia, MS |
65 | Kirkwood Community College | Cedar Rapids, IA |
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
141 | Cleveland Community College | Shelby, NC |
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).
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